Montreal gets ready for Round 3 and Grand Prix: getting round downtown to be a challenge

Getting around downtown Montreal and to Parc Jean-Drapeau will be a challenge with thousands of visitors expected for Grand Prix weekend.

The Grand Prix weekend in Montreal is early this year, starting May 22, as the city will be welcoming F1 fans from around the world while the Habs are in the playoffs.

Getting around downtown could be problematic and getting to Parc Jean-Drapeau will take time because up to 130,000 people are expected for the Race Day on Sunday.

Sandrine Garneau of Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada sums it all up: “It is the biggest sporting and tourism event in the country.”

In addition to the F1 festivities downtown, there will also be playoff hockey parties around town.

“It will be a really big moment for Montreal and, for sure, the public transportation. It’s the way to go,” said Montreal city councillor Christine Black.

Laurence Houde-Roy of the STM says the metro network is ready to handle the huge crowds.

“For the three days of the event, we added more service in the metro. Specifically, on the yellow line. And also we moderate the service depending on the ridership and the schedule of the event. We also add more employees in different stations,” Houde-Roy said.

She adds that STM bus 777 and adapted transport buses will shuttle people to Parc Jean-Drapeau, but cars that aren’t already accredited for the races will not be allowed.

Last year, lots of fans rode their bikes to the site and this year, personal bike parking has been expanded to accommodate 500 bikes. Plus, more BIXI bikes will be added to the network.

Garneau says F1 teams started preparations early to be ready for the updated race schedule.

“From an operational standpoint, it was crucial for us to be able to start our build in the fall with the winter that we just had, which was particularly spicy. It would have been very difficult for us to be able to start our build in February and then be able to deliver for a May event. We are the only Grand Prix that is built in Nordic conditions,” Garneau said.

Winter was rough on our roads, but event organizers promise that the “construction festival” will take a break this weekend and Veronique Doucet of Parc Jean-Drapeau says they have a plan.

The Grand Prix grandstands are sold out, but general admission tickets are still available.